Typically when you’re writing up the preview for the Atlanta defense, you’re expecting under 3 minutes of work. The Falcons rank last in sacks, and let’s move on. But wait just a minute.
I remember being surprised how much pressure this defense generated against Justin Herbert. They sacked him 5 times. Then they came out the next week and sacked Sam Darnold 4 times. They got their old buddy, Desmond Ridder, 3 times on Monday night.
What the heck is going on here?
Changes were made, apparently, during the Week 12 bye. The Falcons had a league-low 10 sacks at that point. But they’ve got 13 in their last three games, which is one short of the most in the league.
Raheem Morris, it seems (along with his defensive coordinator, Jimmy Lake, have decided to get more aggressive, cutting their guys loose. Better to go down swinging.
SACKS BY DEFENSES | |
---|---|
First 11 Games | Last 3 Games |
39 Denver | 14 Dallas |
38 Minnesota | 13 Atlanta |
36 NY Giants | 13 Green Bay |
35 Baltimore | 12 Las Vegas |
35 LA Chargers | 12 New Orleans |
34 Houston | 11 Houston |
34 NY Jets | 11 Kansas City |
33 Philadelphia | 10 Denver |
32 Cleveland | 10 Pittsburgh |
32 Tampa Bay | 9 Baltimore |
29 Arizona | 9 Carolina |
29 Washington | 8 Indianapolis |
28 Chicago | 7 Arizona |
28 Dallas | 7 Miami |
28 LA Rams | 7 San Francisco |
28 Seattle | 6 Cincinnati |
28 San Francisco | 6 Detroit |
27 Buffalo | 6 Philadelphia |
27 Green Bay | 6 Tampa Bay |
25 Detroit | 6 Washington |
25 Indianapolis | 5 Buffalo |
25 New Orleans | 5 Chicago |
25 New England | 5 Jacksonville |
25 Pittsburgh | 5 LA Chargers |
24 Tennessee | 5 NY Giants |
21 Jacksonville | 5 NY Jets |
21 Kansas City | 4 Minnesota |
21 Miami | 4 Seattle |
20 Las Vegas | 4 Tennessee |
19 Cincinnati | 3 LA Rams |
17 Carolina | 2 New England |
10 Atlanta | 1 Cleveland |
This week, as luck would have it, the Falcons are home against the Giants. That offense has allowed 45 sacks. Only six teams have allowed more. New York has a patchwork offensive line, with its one standout, left tackle Andrew Thomas, sidelined for the season.
The previous season, the Giants allowed 85 sacks – 20 more than any other team.
The Giants are going back to Drew Lock on Sunday. He’s taken 8 sacks in his two starts, with 2 interceptions.
I’m not putting Atlanta up there with the elite defenses, but it’s not the doormat I was expecting. I’m thinking the Falcons will finish above-average in sacks.
Kaden Ellis and Arnold Ebiketie (pictured) are the leaders of that pass rush. Each had only 1 sack in the first 11 weeks of the season, but each has 3 sacks in the last three weeks. I expect they’ll be the primary guys coming hard after Lock on Sunday.
—Ian Allan